Foundation Relations Manager

Foundation Relations Manager

Position Title
- Foundation Relations Manager

Position Summary
- The Manager of Foundation Relations is responsible for cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with foundation partners, stakeholders, and clients while supporting the development and stewardship of foundation funding opportunities. This role focuses on developing partnerships, aligning foundation objectives with the College's goals, and providing grant development and project management support. The ideal candidate will possess excellent communication and organizational skills, a proven track record in foundation engagement, and experience in proposal development, prospect research and project coordination.

Additional responsibilities include scheduling meetings for the Director, coordinating travel arrangements, and handling forms and data processing as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Leverages historical data and foundation intelligence to support departmental decision-making, prospect development, and strategic communications. Develops and manages foundation stewardship strategies, acting as the key liaison between foundation and campus partners. Identifies and researches new foundation partnership opportunities and supports the cultivation and development of long-term relationships with prospective and current funders. Oversees all foundation communications, providing exceptional service to campus and foundation partners.

Supports the review and editing of grant proposals, narratives, and reports, providing constructive feedback to strengthen submissions and deliverables. Coordinates and manages proposal and reporting timelines, ensuring required materials, approvals, and deliverables are completed accurately and on schedule. Develops scholarship and stewardship reports and related communications materials. Manages gift and grant tracking, gift agreements, reporting requirements, and other stewardship deliverables for the department.

Maintains accurate and timely information across multiple project management and institutional systems to support effective tracking of proposals, awards, deadlines, relationships, and deliverables. Prepares briefing materials, prospect research, and meeting and travel briefings to support the Director and other College representatives in foundation engagement and donor cultivation. Organizes and coordinates foundation partner meetings, campus visits, events, and activities, ensuring effective execution and alignment with partnership objectives and terms.

Supports the Director in ensuring compliance with institutional policies, procedures, and processes. Assists the Director with various departmental initiatives and special projects that support College goals. Coordinates foundation partner events and campus visits. Acts as a visible representative of the Spelman community to alumnae, donors, friends, parents, students, and external partners.

Required Qualifications - A bachelor's degree in communications, English, business, nonprofit management, public administration, or a related field is preferred, with a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in foundation relations, grants administration, development, project management, communications, or a related field. A high school diploma is required. This position requires excellent written and oral communication skills, strong attention to detail, and time management.

The ability to independently manage multiple priorities, deadlines, projects, and relationships is essential. Experience reviewing, editing, and proofreading professional documents, including grant proposals, reports, and business correspondence, is preferred. A professional demeanor and the ability to interface with internal and external partners diplomatically and tactfully are essential. Strong research, fact-finding, analytical, and project management skills are required, including the ability to track multiple projects, maintain accurate records across various systems, monitor deadlines and deliverables, and interpret and apply policies, procedures, and funding requirements.

Excellent customer service skills are required when interacting with internal and external partners, including senior leadership, faculty, donors, foundation representatives, and Board members. To perform this job successfully, an individual must have intermediate to advanced skills using Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), as well as…